Vehicle-tire.



' H. S. FIRESTONE.

VEHICLE TIRE.

No. 646,274. Pa tented Mar. 27, I900.

(Application filed Nov. 20, 1899.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

No. 646,274. Patented Mar. 27, I900.

" H. S. FIRESTONE.

VEHICLE 1m (Application filed. Nov. 20, 1899.) (No'MbdeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet2.

UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

HARVEY s. FIRESTO'NE, F onIoAeo, ILLINOIS.

VEHICLE-TIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 646,274, dated March27, 1900 Application filed November 20, 1899. Serial No. 737,586. (Nomodel.) I

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARVEY S. FIRESTONE, of Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Vehicle-Tires, of which of the wheel.

To these ends the invention consists in certain novel features which Iwill now proceed to describe and will then particularly point by forminga channel or groove.

out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspectiveview,partlyinsection, of a tire embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional view ofa portion of the tire proper detached.Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the tire-retaining device detached. Fig.4 is a transverse sectional view of the rubber tire detached and withthe fastening device removed. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the ends of theretaining device before they are joined. Fig. 6 is a similar Viewshowing the ends joined. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken onthe line 7 7 of Fig. 5 and looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 8is a sectional View taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 5 and looking in thedirection of the arrow.

In the said drawings, 1 indicates the metal-' lic rim in which the tireproper, 2, is seated, said rim comprising a flat base 3 andoutwardly-extending diverging flanges 4, there- The tire 2 isconstructed of rubber or other like material, its inner portion beingshaped to conform to the groove or channel of the metallic rim, whileits outer portion, lying outward beyond the metallic rim, may be givenany suitable conformation-such, for instance, as that shown. This tireproper is made in the form of a strip of rubber, which is afterwardseated in the circular rim, it being of such length that its ends willmeet when the rubber is compressed longitudinally in the rim. Throughoutthe inner portion of said tire proper-to wit, that portion which lieswithin the channel of the rim-there is formed a longitudinal passage 5,comprising a central arched or curved portion 6, most distant from thebase of the tire at its center and approaching said base at its ends,and enlarged tubular portions 7, located at said ends. In conjunctionwith the tire thus constructed I employ a retaining device 8, consistingof a metallic strip or band, which is continuous or smooth on both itsinner and outer surfaces, except at its ends, and hasits body portioncurved or arched transversely in the same manner as the body portions ofthe passage 5 is arched or curved. The longitudinal edges of this stripor band are turned or rolled inward to form beads or enlargements 9,which fit within the tubular portions 7 of the longitudinal passage 5 inthe tire. In order to firmly .unite the ends of thisretaining device Iemploy the followingconstruction: At the end of the strip or band theribs or vbeads 9 are cut away for. some distance back, as indicated inFig. 4, leaving a tongue 10 of about the width of the body portion ofthe strip or band. The other'end of the strip or band is centrally cutaway, as indicated at 11, leaving lateral flanges or seats 12 betweenthe enlarged margins orbeads 9 and the cut-away portion 11. Suitableapertures 13 are formed in the end of the tongue 10 and in the body ofthe other end of the strip or band beyond the cut-away portion 11 toreceive a flattened rivet 14, by means of which the two ends of the bandor strip are partly united. As a further means for uniting these endsand insuring a permanent and rigid joint I braze together the undermargins of the tongue 10 and the upper surfaces of the flanges 11, asindicated at 15. This brazing completes the production of a permanentand substantially-rigid joint.

A tire constructed in accordance with my invention presents thefollowing advantages: The central part of that portion of the rubberwhich lies between the retaining-band and the metallic rim presents alarge mass of rubber,which when radial pressure is brought upon therubber tire proper receives a direct and continuous pressure from theentire con-- cave under surface of the retaining-band. This pressuretends to force this portion of the rubber downward and outward, and therubber is thus compressed at the points lying immediately between theenlarged or beaded edges of the retaining-band and the metallic rim. Bythis means the cutting of the rubber which ordinarily occurs at thesetwo points is Very largely diminished and the durability and life of thetire are considerably increased. The marginal enlargements or heads arein themselves a preventive of such cutting by reason of the extendedbearing-surfaces which they present in all directions. The continuousbearing of the body portion of the band and its concavity on its underface, taken in conjunction with the comparatively-large convex mass ofrubber lying between it and the rim, insure the interposition of aproper amount of rubber and theproper compression of the same betweenthe beads 9 and the metallic rim.

With regard to the above mode of fasten ing the ends of theretaining-bands the longitudinal strains, which tend to separate saidends in the direction of'the length of the bands, are chiefly resistedby the rivet 14, which is well calculated to withstand the strain. Thebrazing of the edges of the tongue and of the lateral flanges serves toprevent any lateral movement of these parts relative to each other, thusmaking the joint laterally rigid, holding the two ends of the band inline with each other, and preventing wear of the rivet and cutting ofthe tire. This lateral rigidity is also furthered by the bearing of thelateral edges of the tongue against the beads or enlargements of theother end of the band.

It will be understood, of course, that the tire proper is applied to therim in the usual manner, the retaining-band being first inserted throughthe rubber, and this latter being then compressed thereon, so as toleave the ends of the band exposed. The tire being placed in the rim,the exposed ends are joined by riveting and brazing, and the rubber isthen released from compression, whereupon its ends will meet and coverand protect the joint, being united by cement or in any other suitablemanner. p

The details of construction may obviously be varied'as, for instance, bythe employment of two or more rivets or theomission of the cut-awayportion ll-and I therefore do not wish to be understood as limitingmyself to the exact details set forth.

I claima l. The combination with a channeled rim having inclined sidewalls, of a rubber tire fashioned to fit the channel and having in itsinner portion within the rim, a longitudinal passage havingoutwardly-arched upper and lower walls with a tubular passage at eachedge thereof, and a metallic retaining-band fashioned to fit the passageand having beaded edges fitting in the tubular edge passages,substantially as set forth. a

2. The combination, with a channeled metallic rim and a rubber tireseated therein, of a retaining band or strip having beaded edges, saidedges being cut away at one end to form a tongue and the body of thestrip being centrally cut away at the other end to form lateral flangesextending inward from the beaded edges, said tongue being united to saidother end by riveting beyond the cut-away portion thereof, and bybrazing between its lateral edges and the inwardly-extending lateralflanges of said other end, which flanges the edges of the tongueoverlap, substantially as described.

HARVEY S. FIRESTONE. WVitnesses:

IRVINE MILLER, FREDERICK O. Gooowm.

